Mother's Day
by writer writing
Summary: Can Lois learn to forgive her mother?
1. Chapter 1

Clark and Lois were at their usual breakfast spot. There wasn't better coffee or muffins in all of Metropolis.

"Then Nathan looks up at me with this toothy grin and says 'Mommy says it'."

Lois spewed the coffee out of her mouth in laughter. She hadn't meant for Nathan to pick up on her language but then 3-year-olds had big ears and big mouths.

"Well, you wouldn't have been laughing if you had seen my mother when he uttered that 4 letter word," Clark said.

Lois stopped laughing and turned a little white. "He said it in front of Mrs. Kent?"

Clark knew he had her, "And Mom knows it wasn't me he learned it from."

Lois groaned.

"I'm sure she's lectured Nathan by now and when we go to pick him up and have supper over there, I'm sure she'll have a lecture for you too, sweetheart."

She threw her napkin at him. "You're enjoying this entirely too much."

"I have to admit this has made my day complete. Not the part where my son learned to swear like a—well, like a Lois, but watching you get lectured by Mom will definitely be the bright spot in my day."

"Just wait. I know I must have something I can tell your mother about you."

He grinned and leaned back in his chair, "Not when you're the perfect husband, father, and son."

Lois gave him a dirty look and then began to sift through her mind for some good blackmail material.

Clark suddenly got serious, not because he feared Lois' threat, but because of the strange woman sitting at the bar just behind Lois.

The woman was well into her middle ages. Streaks of gray ran through her short light brown hair and were about to become victorious in the battle of hair color. She was small and thin-framed. She kept staring curiously and anxiously at the back of Lois's head with her hazel-brown eyes.

"I've got it!" Lois said, startling Clark out of his human study. "If I can't think of something, I'll just make something up. Husbands never want to take out the trash. I'll say you haven't been taking out the trash."

He frowned at her. "I have too been taking out the trash."

"Hence, the making it up part."

He kept stealing glances at the middle-aged woman who hadn't stopped stealing glances at Lois.

"A woman—"

"I think that would be taking it a little too far."

"No, I mean there's this woman that keeps staring at you."

Lois looked puzzled. "Are you sure she's not staring at you?"

"I'm sure."

Lois turned around to take a look and then quickly snapped back around. "I don't know her."

"She seems to know you," Clark replied.

"Let's get out of here," Lois said, glaring in the woman's direction.

Clark followed Lois out onto the sidewalk, but he wasn't about to let the subject drop. "I know you know who that is."

She let out an angry sigh. She knew he wasn't going to stop until he found out who she was, one way or another. "That was my mother."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

"You—your mother?" Clark stuttered. He wasn't sure he had heard right.

"That's all I have to say on the matter," she said, leaving him behind as she continued her furious pace to get to work.

He quickly caught up. "But you—I thought—isn't she dead?"

She didn't even bother to reply, but she did give him a withering look.

They spent the rest of the walk in silence.

Clark's mind was reeling. He recalled the time he had seen the picture of Lois' mother in General Lane's office. She did faintly resemble the woman, minus the dyed blonde hair that was present in the picture. He had never really thought about it before but that was the only time he had seen a picture of the woman in question. Of course, the Lane family wasn't the kind of family that whipped out photo albums and fondly reflected on the past, if you discounted the time Lucy had teasingly shown Clark Lois' most embarrassing baby pictures, so he hadn't thought much about it. Now that he did, it was the only time he even recalled her mentioning her mother. All he knew about her was that she had died when Lois was 6 due to lung cancer and now he couldn't even claim to know that. Had Lois known her mother was alive all this time or was this a revelation to her too?

Lois predictably threw herself into her work like she always did when she didn't want to deal with her feelings.

He knew that right now she had a wall higher than the Berlin Wall around the subject of mother. Not even Superman could fly high enough to get over it. He tried to concentrate on his article, but 15 minutes into it, he gave up.

"Lois?"

No answer.

"Lois?"

Still no answer.

"Can't we just talk?"

"About the weather? Sure. It's sunny with a chance of showers in the afternoon." She got up from her desk with her finished article. She glanced at Clark's computer and clicked her tongue. "You better get working on that article or Perry's going to have a fit. We have that press conference at 1:00."

Clark couldn't help but roll his eyes. Once he was safely facing the computer again. Maybe if he waited until tonight, she'd have cooled down and be ready to talk about it. Then again she hadn't willingly brought up the subject in 12 whole years. Maybe he'd ask Chloe. Lois was in Perry's office. He decided to sneak up onto the roof to make the call.

"Hello?"

"This is Clark. I have something I need to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"What's the deal with Lois' mother?"

There was a long pause on Chloe's end. "Um, she passed away when Lois was a little girl. Lung cancer I think it was. Why?"

"We just happened to run into her at breakfast."

He could imagine the shocked look on Chloe's face. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"I don't think so."

"Was she a ghost or just some weird lookalike?"

"I'd say neither."

"What did Lois say?"

"Nothing except to say that it was her mother and even then I had to press the information from her."

"Did she seem surprised?"

"Maybe a little, but it's like trying to read granite when you hit a touchy spot."

"Don't I know it. Look, I'll see if I can't find her death certificate. Maybe that'll give us some clues."

"Thanks. I appreciate it. I'll call back when I get a chance."

He ran back downstairs before Lois knew he was gone. Clark stopped asking her questions and Lois got friendlier as the day progressed.

She was downright jolly by the time they got to his mom's house. She scooped Nathan up in her arms and asked him, "I heard from Daddy you said a bad word. That makes Mommy very unhappy. Santa doesn't bring presents to children who say naughty words."

He looked up at his mother tragically. "Santa not bring you presents?"

Clark and Martha had to bite their lips hard to keep from laughing. They both found the wall suddenly very fascinating.

"You don't worry about Mommy. You worry about Nathan," Lois told him.

"I've got an idea," Clark said, "about how we can cure Mommy of her bad habit. Every time she says a bad word. She can put a nickel in a bad word jar and when it fills up, we can use the money to buy something we need."

Lois shot daggers at Clark, but smiled brightly when Nathan looked at her. "That sounds like a good idea."

"We'll be rich before we know it, son," Clark said.

"How about Daddy puts a nickel in it every time he bugs Mommy," Lois said in an irritated but falsely cheery tone.

Nathan laughed and then got down and ran into the kitchen.

Martha was smiling, "Supper's ready."

---

Clark took the opportunity to call Chloe back while Lois was reading Nathan a bedtime story.

"Did you find anything out?" Clark asked her eagerly.

"I can't find a certificate of her death at all and I tried for hours. I found 2 Ella Lanes living in Metropolis whose statistics sounds like it could match. I can't promise it's the same lady you saw, Lane isn't one of the rarest names in the world, but one of them might be. You want their addresses?"

"You bet."

"I hope you know what you're doing," she said before she gave him the addresses.

He slipped the piece of paper with the addresses into his pocket after he hung up. He hoped so too.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Clark hesitated before bringing his fist to the door. He'd tried the other address. If this wasn't her, he didn't know how he was going to find Lois' mother. If only he had heard her speak, maybe he could keep an ear out for her voice when he was flying. He shook his head. There was no use focusing on ifs before he even found out if this was the right Ella Lane. He knocked again and listened carefully. He could tell someone was in there, someone who wasn't coming to the door. He wasn't going away until that someone came to the door.

At last, the door inched open. All he could see through the crack was a hazel eye and a few strands of hair, but he knew it was her. "Can I come in please?"

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"I just want to talk with you."

She warily moved away from the door. He could see that she was packing up. There were cardboard boxes all over the place.

"Well?" said the woman.

"I want to help you."

She laughed a dry laugh. "Help me?"

"Reconnect with your daughters."

She started putting items in the living room into the boxes. "You want the impossible. Lucy doesn't even know I'm alive and Lois, well, you saw her reaction."

"I don't know the story, but I know Lois. She's hurt and she needs some time to process things."

"No, she hates me. And don't try to tell me about my daughter. She hated broccoli. She never even tried it, but she was convinced she wouldn't like it. I spent 3 years trying to talk her into a bite and you know what? I bet she still doesn't eat broccoli."

"A mother and a vegetable are two very different things," Clark tried to persuade her. It was true that she still didn't eat broccoli.

She set the glass figurine in her hand back down on the table. "Well, then let me give you this scenario. Your alcoholic, chain-smoking mother ran out on you when you were 6 without so much as a goodbye, not that you spent much time with her to begin with in her perpetual, whiney stupor. Do you forgive her? Knowing her father as I do, I can imagine that the rest of her childhood wasn't exactly pie in the sky either."

He was momentarily at a loss for words.

"That's what I thought," she said, picking her figurine back up.

"You must want to mend fences if you took an apartment in Metropolis. You can't tell me you didn't know your daughter was a famous reporter for a Metropolitan paper."

"I did know. I wasn't really trying to get in touch with her or anything. I just thought I might run into her one day and that it might be nice, but it wasn't nice."

"So now you're just going to give up and run away again?"

"You look like a pushover, but I must say you're relentless. I'm starting to see why you're married to my daughter. You are Lois' husband, aren't you?"

He affirmed with a quick nod. "So if I set up a meeting with Lois, you'll come and you'll stick around here a little longer?"

She sighed. "If she agrees to it, but only if she agrees to it."

He smiled at her.

"I can tell you have rosy pictures in your head of us bursting into tears, hugging, and living happily ever after henceforth as mother and daughter. That's not the way real life works. Blood isn't thicker than water sometimes. If you can get us in the same room together, it'll be a miracle and I can guarantee you it won't be a pretty, happy reunion."

"I know, but it'll be a start. You have to do it for Lois' sake and Nathan's."

"Nathan?"

"He's our son." He opened up his wallet and took out a recent picture of Nathan.

"He's beautiful," she said, smiling for the first time. She reluctantly started to give it back.

"Keep it. We have more." He took out his cell phone. "Give me your number and I'll call you as soon as I have it set up."

She gave it to him and he punched it in. He started to leave, but she stopped him with a question. She was focused on unpacking, trying to look as if she didn't care what the answer was. "Has she ever mentioned me before today?"

Not unless you counted being told she was dead and he wasn't going to tell her that. He slowly and sympathetically shook his head.

"I called her on her 16th birthday. She hung up on me."

He didn't know if it was an attempt on her part to say that she wasn't as bad a mother as he thought, that his mission was hopeless, or if she just wanted some reassurance. He just nodded and softly closed the door behind him

He didn't know how he was going to get Lois to agree to a meeting, but he did know it wasn't going to be easy.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Clark waited until that night when they were in bed before he brought it up.

"Lois?"

"Hmmm?" she asked groggily, already in the process of falling asleep.

"Why won't you talk about your mother?" he asked.

Her eyes snapped wide open and she sat back up, glaring fiercely, "If you're going to start this again, you can just sleep on the couch."

"I wouldn't keep bringing it up if you would just answer my questions."

"My mother died 24 years ago. That's the way I've always looked at it and that's the way I want to continue to look at it. No digging up dead people for me."

"But maybe she's changed."

"People always say that and it's hardly ever true. Most people slip back into whatever bad trait they had."

"But—"

"Would you stop? You don't even know her. I know what you picture when you think of the word mother; you think of your mother and the relationship you have with her and you want that for me, but first off, it's too late to have a mother-daughter relationship with her and second of all, she's the polar opposite of Mrs. Kent. I don't want a relationship with someone who didn't want one with me when it really counted."

"Lois—"

"Don't Lois me. You don't understand what my childhood was like. Despite your frets over powers and origins, you had a great childhood. You want to know what mine was really like? Do you want the whole gruesome story?"

"Yes, I do. I love you, Lois, and I want to know everything there is to know about you. You don't have to carry your burdens alone. I thought you knew that by now," he said earnestly. She had shared with him all about growing up with her father and having to be a mother to Lucy. He should have encouraged her to share about her mother and she might have opened up about it sooner.

"My parents fought all the time. I guess that's nothing so new or tragic, but they did. I don't even think I remember one tender moment between them. When Mom wasn't fighting with Dad, she was whining about her problems to me, the rest of the time she ignored me. I don't mean she didn't feed us or locked us in a closet. She just never asked me how my school day went or if I wanted to do something together. She did come to my school for open house one time. I was so happy that she was coming because as selfish as this sounds, it would be about me for once. She could see how good I was doing in school and see the family picture I drew. She came to school rip-roaring drunk. Whatever she said, the whole room heard it. She put her arm around my teacher and made nasty comments about some of the kids' artwork. She actually took one down and ripped it up and made one my classmates cry. Of course, she was asked to leave. You can only imagine how embarrassing that was. I think the only other attempt at motherhood she made was reading me a bedtime story and then she fell asleep in the middle of it because once again she was drunk. For all that though, I loved her. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

He squeezed her hand. "She was still your mother. Of course, you loved her."

"And one day she was gone, it's as simple as that. Not even a goodbye or a letter and that hurt more than anything she had done while she was living with us. I think Dad still loved her for all their fights. He wasn't quite the same after she was gone and he still has her picture on his desk, but I think that's more for show than anything else. Anyway, we even had a memorial service. 'We had to lay her to rest', Dad said. Lucy thought Mom had really died and neither Dad nor I have ever corrected her. It's easier when you think your Mom had no choice but to leave you. Dad told everyone that she had died from lung cancer. No one had any trouble accepting it because you didn't see Mom for any length of time without seeing a cigarette too. Dad was just as disinterested in us as Mom was, maybe it would be better to say that he had no idea how to go about raising girls, but I'll say this for him, he didn't leave us. We may just have been a duty to him, but he was still there."

He drew her closer and held her for a few moments and kissed the top of her head. "If I could go back and fix things for you, I would."

She sighed and pulled away, "I guess it was good for me in the end. It made me into the tough cynic I am today."

"Says the woman who was playing tickle monster with Nathan not more than an hour ago."

She smiled.

He knew he had to tell her. He couldn't put it off. He had a feeling, there were about to be a whole lot of nickels in the bad word jar. "Lois, I—I went to see your mother."

"You what?"

"I really do think she's different and she wants to meet with you."

"You had no right!" Angry didn't begin to describe the way she felt. She pulled a blanket from the bed and went to sleep on the couch herself.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Lois refused to talk to him the next morning. He hated that. He would rather have her yelling at him or even trying to pretend nothing happened than refusing to talk. Coming from Lois it was an unnatural behavior and it showed the depth of her hurting and anger.

"Nathan, can you tell your dad to pass me the milk?"

Nathan looked puzzled but did as he was told.

"Lois, this is absolutely ridiculous. If we have a problem, we need to talk about it."

She didn't bother to answer him. It was like that all through breakfast.

At the end of the workday, he'd had it. He didn't know how much longer the chill could go on. Maybe his mother could help thaw her out a little and get her to agree to a meeting.

Nathan wanted to show Lois the new calf that had been born a few days ago. Martha had just shown it to him that day because they hadn't been sure it would survive. While they were away in the barn, he took the opportunity to talk to Martha.

"I guess you noticed things are a little strained right now between Lois and me?" he asked.

"Well, I noticed she hasn't addressed you directly since you got here."

"Let me ask you something, Mom. If someone wasn't talking to their mother for whatever reason, should a person, a person that cares deeply about this someone, should he try to repair this damaged relationship by at least trying to get them talking again?"

"Well, that's a complicated question, honey. No two people are alike and no relationship is going to be exactly the same. Why isn't this someone and the mother talking?"

"The mother walked out on the daughter." Martha frowned and Clark was quick to add, "But she's sorry that she did it and wants to reconnect with her daughter."

"That's tough," she said, shaking her head sadly. "I feel for the mother, but it's understandable why the daughter wouldn't want to talk with her."

"I know, but I—I mean this person thinks it would be best if this daughter got reacquainted. She has a lot of pain over it that she hasn't let go of as much as she thinks she has and even if the meeting was horrible, it would at least, I don't know, maybe she would understand more about why her mother left, not that I think it was the right thing for the mother to do. And who knows maybe the meeting won't be so horrible."

Martha nodded slowly, "Is this daughter Lois?"

Clark was momentarily surprised that she had figured it out so soon, but then he hadn't exactly been subtle about it. He recovered and nodded. "Her mother's not dead after all and we ran into her the other day. Then I went to see Ms. Lane and she seemed kind of decent and very regretful about the past. Lois thinks I should have stayed out of it and she's furious that I went to see her mother to arrange a meeting, but I don't want her to have any regrets. She shouldn't look back one day when her mother's really gone and say I wish I'd met with her. You know?"

"You want me to talk to her?" Martha asked, not as much of a question as a statement.

"Well, she's not talking to me. I think hearing it from someone other than her meddlesome husband might make her see things differently."

Martha grabbed her jacket. "Let's go out to the barn. You can take Nathan back inside."

They got out to the barn where the calf was in his own separate stall. Lois was holding Nathan up so he could pet the young animal.

"Lois, dear, can I talk you for a minute?" Martha asked.

"I can guess what this is about," she mumbled darkly, but louder she said, "Sure."

"Your grandmother has made a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. I know they're not half as interesting as the calf, but—"

By this time Nathan was struggling to get down and run to his father. Martha and Clark chuckled. Even Lois smiled.

Martha and Lois were left alone. Lois turned back around to pet the white and brown calf.

"Clark told me," Martha started.

"I figured," she said, continuing to pet him, but a little faster.

"I understand why you don't want to see her and I don't blame you a bit."

Lois turned around to face her, surprised that Martha was on her side. "Is there a but in this?"

Martha stepped closer. "Honey, I don't want to see you miss out on a chance to get a little bit of closure and Clark doesn't either."

"I don't want that chance. Why is that so hard to understand? The woman left me and as far as I'm concerned that's as good as dying."

"You can pretend that she's dead, but she's not and deep down, you know she's not and that part still hurts."

Lois didn't say anything, but looked down.

"One meeting won't hurt anything and I know Clark will go with you for moral support."

She looked back up, "Maybe you're right, but it will hurt, Mrs. Kent." Her eyes were filling up with tears.

Martha opened up her arms for a hug and Lois went into them. "It scares me. I'll feel like that neglected little girl again and I don't want to feel that way."

"I know, sweetheart," she said, rubbing small circles on her back in a motherly fashion, "but it'll be worth it in the end. I promise. Just remember how much we all love and support you: Clark, Nathan, and me."

She gave a small laugh and smiled through her tears. "I guess I'll do it. I want to tell you something though. I didn't know what motherly love was until I met you. I was one crazy teenager and you offered your home to me and taught me what a mother should be. You believed that I'd make something of myself when I didn't even believe it. I don't think I'd be half the mother I am to Nathan if it wasn't for you. I'll always be grateful to you. I know I've told you this before, but I think of you as my mother."

"I know, baby, and I think of you as my daughter."

Lois gently pulled away and wiped her eyes. "I guess I better go tell, Clark." She gave a wry smile, "It looks like he won this battle."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Lois came to an abrupt stop before she got to the door.

"What's the matter, Lois? Did you change your mind?" Clark asked.

"No, I agreed to it, and I'm going to do it. I just think it would be better if you waited out here."

"Of course, if that's what you want."

"And no eavesdropping with those ears of yours," she ordered with a pointed finger.

"You're starting to worry me. You don't plan on killing her, do you?" he tried to tease to help break the tension for her.

"I mean it, Clark." She walked to the apartment door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

The door opened quickly and Lois went in.

She followed her to the middle of the living room. Ella reached out to put her hand lovingly on Lois' face, but Lois jerked away before there was contact.

"Let's get something straight. I'm not here because I want to be. I'm here to make Clark and his mom happy," she paused briefly, "and maybe because I want to see how a woman that calls herself a mother could leave her daughters. I can't believe you still go by Lane. You were never a Lane, not enough backbone."

Ella wasn't surprised. She had been expecting a harsh reception and was ready to answer, "I had to leave, Lois. I—"

Lois interrupted, "You didn't have to do anything. You left because all you could think about was yourself."

"It sounds like you already know the answer," she said dryly.

Lois rolled her eyes and turned to go.

"Will you at least hear me out?" Ella pleaded.

Lois turned back around and folded her arms.

Ella had to repress a smile. It was the same defiant stance that she had seen so many times when Lois was little, but she quickly sobered as she started to explain, "I know it's hard to believe, but I was thinking about you and Lucy and your dad when I left."

Lois scoffed, but she didn't interrupt.

"It's true. I was a drunk. I know I don't need to tell you that. I was a smoker too, but it's drinking that turns you into somebody you don't want to be. I was hurting you all and I didn't want to keep doing that, but I wasn't ready to give up my drinking yet, so I did the only thing I could. I left."

"That's such a load of bull, but then again maybe it's not. It's still is all about you if you think about it. You didn't want to see us get hurt, so you went somewhere where you couldn't see it, so you could indulge in your selfish addiction, never mind how we felt after you left."

"It wasn't like that."

"Oh, the he—" she bit her lip, "heck, it wasn't. You see I care enough about my child to curb my addictions like swearing. I used to drink too, did you know that? I got kicked out of college for it. I haven't been drunk once since Nathan came along. All it takes is caring about someone more than you care about yourself, but that's never been your strongpoint, has it, Mom?"

"You don't know how hard it was for me to stop, but I've been dry for nine years."

"Go tell it to the people at your AA meeting. I've had enough," Lois said coldly as she went for the door.

"For what it's worth," Ella said, "I truly am sorry."

Lois froze, but she didn't turn back around, "I'm sorry too. Sorry I had you for a mother. And don't ever try to contact Lucy or I promise you you'll regret it." She slammed the door as she went out.

"Satisfied now?" Lois demanded of Clark. "I went and now I'm done. That's the last I want to see of her or speak of her for that matter."

Clark looked disappointed, but he nodded, "A deal's a deal."

They walked away with Ella staring tearfully through the peephole.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

It was a couple weeks after the meeting. Lois was working on a crossword puzzle and Clark was reading a book in bed.

"Lois?"

"What?" she replied.

"Are you thinking about your mother?"

She gave an annoyed sigh, "No, but I am now. Why would you bring that up? I thought we had an agreement?"

"I was just wondering. Your heart is beating awful fast. Are you thinking of something stressful?"

"Not unless the star of Bewitched is stressful. It's Elizabeth somebody."

"Montgomery."

"Thanks…how do you spell that?"

"Something has to be wrong," he insisted.

She rolled her eyes. "I guess it was bound to happen someday, Clark. Being married to you has finally given me high blood pressure."

"Lois, I'm serious." He felt her forehead.

"Well?"

"You don't feel hot, but I want to check your temperature anyway."

"Clark, for pete's sake, if my heart's beating a little faster than normal, it's not the end of the world.

He didn't listen or respond as he went to get the thermometer. Lois reluctantly pushed her hair back, so he could put it in her ear. "That's odd," he said.

"Let me guess, normal temperature?"

"No, it's 96. It's below average."

"Maybe it's broken or something."

He put the thermometer in his own ear. "98. Lois, I think we'd better get you to the doctor."

"Don't be ridiculous. I feel fine. You're probably a little off because you're Kryptonian or something."

He frowned. "I have a normal temperature. You're the one who's off."

"I'll go to the doctor tomorrow then. She scratched her arm. He started unbuttoning her pajama top. "Clark, what on earth are you doing?"

He pointed at the band-aid on her arm. "Did you clean that first."

"It was just a little scratch."

"The area around it's red. You're going to the hospital now."

"The band-aid was itchy. Maybe it's red because I've been scratching," but she sounded a trifle worried herself now.

"Better safe than sorry," he said, already scooping her out of bed.

"What about Nathan?" she asked.

"I'll keep my ear on him when we're flying and as soon as we get to the hospital, I'll call and ask Ms. Landes to go over and sit with him. She still has our key from vacation."

Lois didn't look happy, but she agreed to the plan.

---

Clark paced in the waiting room. When they'd gotten to the hospital, Lois had started to look seriously ill. They had taken her right back as soon as she described her symptoms. He had tried to look and see what was going on, but there were x-ray rooms blocking the room they had taken her to, people walking around in lead aprons kept interfering. The desk nurse frowned when his pacing almost made him collide with someone looking for a seat. He sat down and put his head in his hands. If he lost Lois, he didn't know what he would do.

At last, the doctor came out. "Mr. Kent?"

Clark jumped up and hurried over, "Yes?"

"Your wife has sepsis, some refer to it as blood poisoning. We've got her on antibiotics that should clear it up. We're also draining her infected fluids."

It didn't surprise him; he'd thought as much. "And?" He sensed the bad news coming.

"She needs a blood transfusion. She's O-, a rare type, and when we had those bombs that went off downtown yesterday, we used a lot up. We don't have her type in any of the local blood banks. Are there any family members nearby that might have the same type?"

"I can think of a couple."

"Good. Call them immediately. If worse comes to worse, we'll have to ship some in from further out."

Clark went outside and used his cell phone. He called Lucy first, "Lucy, do you know your blood type?" he asked as soon as she answered the phone.

"No, what's wrong?"

"I need you to come down here and find out. Lois needs a transfusion."

He did the same with Chloe and she didn't know her type either. Lois' father lived too far away to be of any help. He hesitated before calling her mother, but he had no choice. He wasn't putting Lois' life in jeopardy because of Lane pride.

"Ms. Lane?"

"Yes?" she asked, not recognizing his voice.

"This is Clark…um, your son-in-law. Where are you?"

"I'm still in Metropolis. I'm going to be moving soon. I'm just staying with a friend until I tie up some loose ends around here."

"Do you know your blood type?"

"O-, why?"

He gave a sigh of relief. "I don't think it's anything to worry about, but Lois is going to need a transfusion. I already have Lucy and Chloe on their way. I know this is a lot to ask, but Lois won't appreciate my asking you, especially with Lucy coming too. Can you stay in your car or out of sight until we find out what type they are and just stay in the reserve?"

"Of course. I'll be there as fast as I can."

As soon as he hung up, the cell phone rang. "I checked with Dad," Chloe said. "We're both A+ but I'm coming anyway for moral support."

"That's fine. Lois' mother is the right type. Lucy is probably going to be here before her mother. She's not far from the hospital and like Lois, she doesn't always obey the speed limit. She'll get tested and hopefully they'll be a match. I hate to get Lois worked up when she's like this, as would happen if she knew that her mom was coming. I have to go. I see Lucy's car now and I want to check on Lois."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

He hoped Lucy was a match and he hoped she didn't run into her mother or there would be a lot of explaining to do.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

While Lucy was off getting her blood type checked, Clark went into Lois' room. He shuddered at the tubes in Lois. It wasn't that it was the first time Lois was in the hospital, far from it, but it always reminded him that Lois wasn't invulnerable. He smiled when she saw him.

"I know what you're going to say and before you start to lecture me, I've learned my lesson. Even if you are running late for an important interview, use disinfectant on your scratch. Believe me, I've got it."

He kissed her forehead, "I was actually going to say how are you feeling?"

She gave him a sheepish grin, "Better now, but I won't feel like dancing a jig anytime soon."

He pulled up a chair beside her, "Lucy's getting checked out to see if she's a match."

"Is Ms. Landes still watching Nathan?" she asked.

"No, I called Mom a couple of hours ago and told her what was going on. She's at our place. She said she'll bring him by later when he's up and you're feeling a little better."

"And work?"

"I called and told them we wouldn't be in today. Perry wanted to know why, so I told him. He's…" There was a knock at the door "…sending flowers," he finished with a smile as one of the errand boys from the Planet came in with a bouquet of sunflowers and daisies.

After the errand boy left, Clark read the card for her, "We're holding the presses for you, Lane, so get well soon."

Lois rolled her eyes but was clearly touched and pleased by the flowers and card.

The doctor came in next, "I'm sorry, your sister wasn't a match, but—"

"Can I talk to you for a minute, doctor?" Clark interrupted.

"Sure."

Lois gave him the evil eye as he left with the doctor

In the hallway, he told the doctor, "Lois' mother knows that she is O- and she's here, or outside actually, but she wishes to remain anonymous."

"Well, that's fine. Just bring her in and we'll draw some blood."

Clark called Ella on the cell phone and told her to come on in. He felt like he was on some covert mission, which he was.

While they took Ella's blood, Clark went back in to talk to Lois. "They found blood."

"That's good. What did you talk to the doctor about?" she asked suspiciously.

"I just wanted to warn him that you have a habit of slipping out of the hospital before you're supposed to."

She frowned, "I'm hooked up to IVs."

"That hasn't stopped you before."

"Not to mention, I can barely lift my head."

He held up his hands in mock surrender and smiled, "Okay, okay. I believe you. You're not planning on any breaks in the near future."

---

Ella was washing her hands in the restroom when Lucy came out of one of the stalls. She quickly cast her eyes down and focused on getting out of there, but Lucy spoke to her.

"Have a family member in the hospital?"

Ella nodded.

"Me too. My sister. They found her a blood donor, thank God. They have her hooked up to the blood now, gosh that sounds a little weird, doesn't it? Who do you have in the hospital?"

"Oh, um…it's my daughter."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine."

"Pardon my saying so, but you don't look very happy."

"Well, we don't get on very well. She hates me."

Lucy nodded sympathetically, "I understand parent trouble, from the kid's perspective anyway, but I'm sure when I have a rugrat of my own, I'll understand that perspective as well." Lucy threw her paper towel in the trash. "See you around maybe. They're serving breakfast right now. I have to go save the poor sap who tries to serve my sister a crappy hospital breakfast."

Ella didn't know whether to be relieved or saddened that Lucy hadn't recognized her. She sighed and left the hospital before she was spotted by someone who did know who she was.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Clark shut the door after Jimmy and Perry, Lois' last visitors of the day. Clark and Lois were alone again.

Lois was still holding the blue 'get well' teddy bear that Nathan had picked out for her in the hospital gift shop earlier that day. She smiled and handed it to Clark to put with the other gifts.

"You're looking a lot better. You have color in your cheeks again. You'll be out of here before you know it."

"I hope so. I think I could get up and walk now if I tried." Clark started to open his mouth. "But don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I'm too tired."

The doctors had reassured Clark that Lois was doing fine and would make a complete recovery. He thought now was the time to tell her where her donated blood had come from. He didn't want to lie to her and if he put it off too long, she would get even angrier than she already was going to be. He had a small hope that maybe Lois would want to give her mother a second chance when she heard it, but he wasn't crossing his fingers.

"Lois?" he asked.

"Oh boy," she sighed.

"What?"

"That tone of yours is never a good thing. It brings bad news with it. Go ahead." He didn't speak right away. "Well, get it over with."

"The blood came from your mother."

She snorted.

He was puzzled. Didn't she believe him? "What?"

"Clark, I'm sick, not stupid. Did you think you were going to have a secret meeting with the doctor after Lucy wasn't a match and not have me know what it was about, especially after the blood appeared in record time with no mention of who the donor was. I knew you were going to call her and that I couldn't talk you out of it. I'm glad you told me though."

"Well?" he asked, trying to gauge what she thought of the situation.

"No harm done. Lucy didn't seem upset, so she couldn't have seen her."

"Aren't you even going to thank her? She's the reason you're alive, twice now."

She looked uncomfortable at the thought and stared out at the dusk for a few moments. Then she turned her attention back to Clark. "I think that's a little melodramatic to say she saved my life, but I guess she did help me, so go ahead and arrange a meeting in the morning like I know you want. Just make sure no one else is lurking around, particularly Lucy."

He nodded and then left, so she could get some sleep.

---

Ella came into the room softly the next morning, unsure of her reception. She made her way over to Lois' bed.

Lois stared at her for a little while, very aware that it was making Ella even more nervous, but then she broke the silence with "So you gave me blood?"

Ella was quick to smile, "Of course I did, sweetheart. I love you. You're my daughter."

"You must think I'm still the 6-year-old you left behind." She had meant to say thank you, but she couldn't help herself. She hated it when people were falsely lovey dovey and said I love you without meaning it.

Ella shook her head in bewilderment, "I don't understand."

"You bring me back from the brink of death and suddenly everything is forgiven. You're the heroine and I'm the grateful daughter."

Ella's face darkened. "I don't want any favors. I'd like for you to forgive me, but I'm not going to twist your arm to get it."

"No?" Lois questioned.

"No," she said indignantly as she stormed out of the room.

Lois stared at the closed door, confused. She thought she had her mother all figured out, but now she wasn't so sure.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Lois dotted the i in her name and then handed her release papers over.

"You're free to get dressed and go," the nurse told her as she left with the papers.

Lois didn't get up right away. "Clark? I've been thinking, after all there isn't much else to do while you're laying prostrate on your back."

"I don't know about that," he said with a teasing smile.

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, "I mean while you're in the hospital." Then she got serious again. "It's about my mother."

He got serious too, "What about her?"

"I guess I have been a little harsh. Maybe everyone does deserve a second chance."

He smiled warmly, "Maybe they do."

"When we get back home, you can give me her number and I guess I'll talk to her one more time." She stood up, "Now I can finally change out of this ghastly hospital gown."

He took her by the hand and twirled her gently from side to side, "I don't know it's kind of grown on me."

She rolled her eyes. "It would," she said as she bent over to pick up her clothes.

"Especially from the back."

She whirled back around with a grin on her face, "Behave yourself, Mr. Kent. Why don't you go ahead and bring the car around? It won't take me long. Then one those wonderful hospital volunteers can wheel me out like I'm an invalid. That is the stupidest hospital rule in the world. I wonder if I can sneak away without them spotting me?"

He shook his head, "Will you follow hospital policy for once in your life?"

"Fine," she said kissing him, "but only for you."

---

She called and Ella said she could come over whenever she wanted, so she came that evening. Ella's friend answered the door.

"I'm uh…I'm here to see my mom," Lois said.

The silver-haired, blue-eyed lady smiled. "I was just on my way out," she said, letting Lois in and herself out.

Ella was waiting on the couch. "What did you want to see me about?"

Lois didn't answer right away, but sat on the other end of the couch. "I thought we maybe ought to talk again. You know before you move away."

"I thought you'd said and heard all you cared to?"

"Well, I had or at least, I thought I had." There was a short pause. "Have you really stopped drinking?"

Ella smiled, knowing she was getting her second chance. "Honest-to-goodness, darling, not for nine years."

Lois sighed heavily and let her eyes wander around the room. It rested on a picture of her and Lucy as kids. She stood up and walked over to it. There was the wallet-size picture of Nathan in the corner of the picture frame. She looked back at her mother. "This relationship is going to take work, you know that, right?"

"Of course, I do and I'm going to put forth 100 percent effort. Really I will."

There was another pause, "I guess I'd better tell, Lucy," Lois said. "This is going to come as quite a shock."

"I'm sure it will," Ella replied.

"She's going to Paris tomorrow evening. She's a stewardess if you didn't know. I can't promise you'll see her before then. I really don't know how she's going to react to the news, but I'll prepare her and then let you know how it goes."

"Okay," Ella said.

Lois opened the door to leave.

"Lois, thank you for giving me a second chance."

"It really is a second chance," Lois warned. "I don't think I could give you a third one."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

Lois nodded and shut the door.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

"Lois?" asked a bleary-eyed Lucy. "What are you doing here? You know I have to sleep in. I've got to work tonight."

"I know, Lucy, and I'm really sorry, but I have something important to tell you."

"And it can't wait?" she asked tiredly.

"Not really."

"Okay," Lucy said, her voice full of defeat. She moved to the side to let Lois come in, "but this better be important."

They took a seat in the living room. "Lucy," Lois began. "How much do you remember about, Mom?"

Lucy looked at her in disbelief. "You came here to ask me that?"

"Please, just humor me."

She shrugged. "Not much. Sometimes I think I can remember something about her when I'm waking up like her the sound of her voice, but really I can't. I guess it's the losing her that I remember most. I just cried and cried. I don't think I've ever thanked you for letting me sleep with you, so thank you. You were a wonderful big sister, and you still are. I'm just sorry you had to be a mother to me too."

Lois ruffled her hair, "I'm sorry too, but I didn't do too bad a job getting you raised, did I?"

She grinned, "I guess not. Anyway, getting back to your question that's all that I remember. I missed her sometimes growing up, but how much can you miss someone you didn't know? I think I missed having a mother more than my actual mother."

"I sometimes wished that I didn't remember her."

"Why?" Lucy looking completely alert now and interested. Lois had never opened up about her before.

"Because they weren't happy memories. Maybe there's more to why you don't remember than just your age. Maybe you wanted to forget."

"I don't understand."

"What if I told you she was still alive?"

"Who?"

"Mom."

"I'd say you were crazy," Lucy answered, not liking where this questioning was going.

"Well, she is."

"Is this some sort of sick joke?" Lucy asked, not sure whether to be angry or play along.

"Lucy," Lois said, looking her sister in the eye. "You know I wouldn't joke about something like this."

"I don't believe it, so you and dad lied to me? I thought all those years when I would hit a brick wall trying to ask you guys stuff that it was because she was so great and you were in such terrible grief, but you were just liars."

"We were grieving, only she wasn't dead. I think we both thought, or at least I thought, that someday we'd find the right time to tell you, but it just doesn't get any easier with time."

Lucy had tears falling, "So she was a jerk then?"

Lois nodded, "Yeah…she was."

"How?"

"Well, she drank a lot, and that's it really. She didn't take good care of us, emotionally I mean. She was a selfish person, who at that time cared only about herself and her drinking."

"And she left us?"

"Yes."

"Well, then good riddance."

"I didn't mean to make you angry toward her. I was just trying to be honest," Lois tried to explain.

"I know and I'm glad you finally told me."

"There's a reason I'm telling you. It's not out of the blue."

"She's back?" Lucy guessed.

Lois nodded.

"Did you tell her where she can go?" Lucy asked bitterly.

"At first, I didn't even speak to her."

"Good for you."

"And then Clark—"

"Lois, don't tell me you fell for whatever crap she tried to feed you."

Lois got fierce. "I don't fall easily. You know that. I didn't believe she'd changed, but she gave me blood and there's no sign that she hasn't stopped drinking. I think she's genuinely sorry and genuinely wants to make up for what she did in the past."

Lucy looked stricken, "She gave you blood?"

"Yeah, why? What's the matter?"

"I think I saw her at the hospital. Does she have grayish brown hair and brown eyes."

Lois nodded.

"I saw her and I had a conversation with her with no clue as to who she was."

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I should have told you sooner."

Lucy didn't respond to her comment. "That's why she looked like she wanted to run. I thought she was just upset about a family member, but she didn't even want to talk to me."

"Yes, she does, Luce. Clark told her not to be seen by you, because he knew it would upset me. She wants to meet with you. That's why I'm here. It's up to you if you want to or not, but I think you should."

"Why? It's too late to play mother now. She left us, Lois. Why should we have anything to do with her?"

"Believe me, I know how you feel. I had those same thoughts, but I think it's something you need to do and whether you go or not, whether you try to bond again or not, I'll support you all the way."

"Will you go with me?" Lucy asked.

"If you want me to. When do you want to go?"

"Let me get ready and I'll go now. I don't think I'm going to be getting anymore sleep and if I wait too long, I might change my mind. I'll call the airport and see if they can't get someone to take my place tonight."

"I'll call her and let her know we're coming over. Do you forgive me for not telling you?" Lois asked.

Lucy smiled, "Of course, I do. I know you were just trying to protect me. However, I still haven't forgiven you for ripping off my Barbie doll's head when we were kids."

Lois laughed. "Barbie had it coming."

---

Lois led the way into the apartment. Ella answered the door this time.

"Lucy," Ella said tenderly as she made a move to hug her, but Lucy backed away behind the security of Lois.

"I'm sorry about the hospital, dear. I should have told you, but I thought it was the best thing to do at the time."

Lucy came back to the front to face her, good and angry, "Just like when you left us?"

"Yes. I'm not saying I wasn't wrong, but I did think I was doing what was best for you girls."

"That's just it! We were girls. We needed our mother. Did you know the only open affection I got growing up was from Lois? I was too much of a twit at the time to appreciate it, but she's more of a mother to me than you'll ever be. It was an unfair, crappy thing to do to her though, to the both of us. Of course, us being together didn't last too long. Dad couldn't really handle a girly girl. Lois wasn't and I was. Guess who got shipped off?"

"I'm sorry, Lucy."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Mother. Both Lois and I had crappy childhoods and I don't know how much better it would have been if you'd stayed, but at least I could have stayed with my family, instead of in Switzerland."

"I'm sorry," Ella repeated.

Lucy snorted. "But you can't do anything to change it, can you?"

"No, but I can be your friend."

"My friend?" Lucy asked.

"I know you want to take it slow. I know it has to be taken slow. It's the same thing I'm doing with Lois. Think of me as a new person, because I really am. And I know you girls aren't the same little girls I knew either. We'll take it slow and get to know one another all over again."

"I guess I can do that much, but I can't make any promises that we'll become friends," Lucy told her.

"I know."

"I've got an idea," Lois said. "Sunday is Mother's Day and Clark and I always celebrate at Mrs. Kent's. Why don't you join us, Mom, Lucy. It won't be anything special. Just kind of a get to know the family sort of thing."

Ella smiled, "I'd love to."

"Sure sign me up. I like Clark's mother," she said, staring pointedly at Ella.

Lois shook her head knowingly. She had a feeling the path to reconnecting with Lucy was going to be a little bumpier for her mother than her path. Lucy looked like the least likely of the sisters to get angry or be stubborn and she was, but on the rare occasion when she was angry or stubborn, it was matchless. Lois remembered her own rocky path to reconnecting with Lucy. It might be awhile before she warmed up completely.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

"I just want to tell you how proud of you I am," Martha said as she basted the chicken one more time.

Lois pulled the necessary plates and silverware out of the cabinet, "For what?"

"For forgiving your mother. I know it wasn't easy."

Lois looked out the window. Ella, Lucy, and Clark were outside playing a game of ball with Nathan. It was easier than waiting on dinner and trying to make uncomfortable conversation. They were all laughing and having a good time.

"Well, I wouldn't pat me on the back too much. It took me long enough to do it. To tell you the truth, it's felt really good since I've forgiven her. I didn't realize how much my anger toward her was eating away at me. If I had known how great it was going to feel, I would have done it sooner. I guess that's selfish, isn't it?"

"Not at all. I don't think we realize how much damage we do to ourselves when we act unforgiving. Forgiving is an act of mercy to the other person and to ourselves."

"And I think I realize we're all going to mess up to some degree sooner or later, the whole to err is human and to forgive is divine spiel. I've already made my fair share of mistakes. If I ever upset Nathan and I'm sure I will, I'd be heartbroken if he chose not to forgive me. If I can't forgive, how can I expect to be forgiven, right?"

Martha smiled, "That's exactly right. Sounds like you learned a lot from the experience."

"I guess so."

"I think we're sent trials and blessings for a reason."

Lois laughed. "So was this a trial or a blessing?"

"You tell me," Martha replied.

Lois thought about it seriously, "I guess it was a little bit of both."

They got the table set and called everybody inside.

"Before we eat, Nathan has something for you," Clark told her.

Nathan beamed and jumped off of his booster seat. He ran to where the envelope was and brought it back to her. It was a sweet Mother's Day card with Disney characters on it and a coffee giftcard. "Thank you, honey," she said, hugging him. Martha and Ella had received their cards when they first came over.

"He picked out the card himself," Clark told her. "We paid for it with your swear jar money," he added with a grin. Lois stuck her tongue out at him.

Lucy shook her head and laughed, "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of it if you spend the money on her?"

"You'd be surprised how much she's cut back thanks to the jar," Clark told her. "When she attempted dinner Friday, she couldn't have cussed more than 5 times."

"No kidding," Lucy said impressed.

"Hey, that's enough you two," Lois said. "It's a hard habit to break. I'm doing the best I can."

"And that's all anybody can do," Martha said, smiling warmly at Ella. Ella smiled back.

Nathan had climbed back in his seat. He told his aunt, "I have 2 grandmas now," as he held up 3 fingers.

"And I've got two mothers now," Lois said, offering a smile to Martha and Ella.

"I've had about all I can handle of this love fest," Lucy said. "My food's getting cold."

"Then by all means let's eat," Lois said.

Lois smiled to herself as she watched everybody digging in. Ella had passed Lucy the mashed potatoes and Lucy had given her a smile of gratitude. Lucy was definitely coming around. Who could have predicted that this Mother's Day, she and Lucy would actually spend it with their mother? Life was both strange and wonderful.

The End


End file.
